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Traeger Smoked Salsa Verde

Traeger Smoked Salsa Verde is a simple grilled salsa that has a touch of smoke, a bit of heat, and heaps of fresh flavor. Lime juice adds a touch of acidity to this flavorful salsa, which whips up in under an hour.

Traeger Smoked Salsa Verde

Last week I was doing a quick meander of my little local grocery store’s produce aisle, and I happen upon a whole section of gorgeous peppers.

I missed tomato season this year in the Pacific Northwest to back-to-school chaos and work craziness, and since I’m a little bit of a tomato snob I usually just skip right over the grocery store tomatoes. I like tomato products, a lot. Almost all of them. But fresh tomatoes I just cannot do unless they are like the PERFECT specimen. I need them sun ripened, and when you give them a good sniff you can actually smell tomato. So many commercial tomatoes are just mealy, flavorless, and scentless. No thanks.

All that to say that while I’d typically default to a red salsa almost every time, if I’m making it fresh I only want the best ingredients I can get and green was where it was at.

Start out with a peck of pickled peppers.

Or just 6-8 of your favorite fresh peppers. You know.

I used tomatillos, Anaheim peppers, and Pasilla peppers. Both varieties of these peppers were very mild. If I made this again, I’d throw in a seeded jalapeno. I’m including that in the instructions as an optional addition.

These all smoked on the Traeger for 30 minutes at 225. It added just enough smokiness without over-cooking the vegetables. Toss an onion and a few cloves of garlic on there too for a little additional flavor!

Once your vegetables and good and smoked, toss them into the blender with the rest of the ingredients. Puree, and then pour into a medium sauce pan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, and then chill for 2-3 hours (preferably overnight).

Traeger Smoked Salsa Verde

Traeger Smoked Salsa Verde is a simple grilled salsa that has a touch of smoke, a bit of heat, and heaps of fresh flavor. Lime juice adds a touch of acidity to this flavorful salsa, which whips up in under an hour.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time40 minutes

Total Time50 minutes

Ingredients

3 large anaheim peppers, {seeded}

2 large pasilla peppers, {seeded}

6 medium tomatillos, {hulled and halved}

1 jalapeno, {seeded}

1/2 medium yellow onion, {diced}

3 cloves garlic, {diced}

1 cup cilantro, {roughly chopped}

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 medium lime, {juiced}

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

Instructions

Take your seeded peppers, tomatillos, onion, and garlic, and place them on a parchment-lined or silicone-baking-mat-lined baking sheet.

Preheat your Traeger according to manufacturer directions, and turn the temperature to 225. Place the baking sheet inside, and let cook for 30 minutes. (If you don't have a Traeger, I'd recommend oven roasting these.)

Remove from the Traeger and let cool for a few minutes. Place all ingredients into a blender, and blend until pureed.

Heat the canola oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Pour in the salsa verde, and stir. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce heat to medium-low to keep at a low bubble, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes.

About Nicole Johnson

Nicole is the founder and photographer here at Or Whatever You Do, where she turned her passion for being on the computer into a creative outlet that also helps feed the family. WINNING. She has lots of kids, and lots of chickens, and loves to travel.